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wow!!! the i8 is smacking down the tesla? huh>?

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#61
@KarenRei for sure the use of carbon fibre has downsides. I guess at least BMW are using waste CF in the first place.

Given the age of my Tesla you can sort of guess it predates the P100D ;) I would say very broadly speaking the closest comparison in terms of straight line speed would be the original P85.

To be perfectly honest I'm not actually that bothered about the straight line speed. I also have a V6 Exige which is _MUCH_ faster than the i8, but the only way I can use its performance is to take it on track (which I do). If I drive 30mph over the limit and get caught on the ever growing speed camera network I'll get banned. On the more fun stuff on the UK B-Roads sight lines and traffic are normally the limiting factors. Silly as it sounds I sometimes miss my old 125bhp Elise, keeping things smooth and using momentum, not a great big power curve has it's own rewards.

The i8 is a good compromise for something with more than enough power for road use, engaging handling, but could reasonably be considered a viable daily driver. (it certainly isn't designed for the track.)

I'm still hoping Tesla offer a cut down version of the next Roadster. If it cost the same as an i8 had broadly the same specs but all electric, it would be a no brainer.
 
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#62
smac said:
A simpler approach would be to add significantly more tax on gas at the pump, this rewards actually driving on EV, not the theoretical range of a PHEV which never gets plugged in.
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Out here in California the Gov't has done (tried?) that. As of 11/1 of this year, there's an additional $0.12 per gallon tax on gas, ostensibly aimed at funding road maintenance (we'll see if they actually deliver on that). EVs will get a flat per-year tax (I think it is something like $100?), delayed a few years. That part I have mixed feelings about, as it doesn't take into consideration actual driving, but the alternative of reporting actual mileage via a GPS of some sort would take us into yet another privacy cesspool. The price, if I'm remembering it right, does seem a bit steep, especially as a starting level, since the impact of an EV is so much lower (e.g. they don't drip oil all over the roadways, which leads to accidents and road surface degradation). Seems like someone's out to punish EVs.

Anyway, the aim of the new and increased taxes is for funding road maintenance, but the short term side effect (before the EV tax starts) could be to encourage EV driving. However, judging by press articles on this year's Holiday travel, I don't think anybody's noticed. To your point, they really need a significant increase, and adding $0.12/gal apparently doesn't count as significant. Maybe 10x that amount (with the extra going to environmental cleanup) would get some attention?

One more thought on the i8... Maybe it wouldn't bother someone in Hollywood or Las Vegas (places where everything is fake anyway :) :) ), but the idea of piping in fake engine sounds really bothers me. At first glance the car does look very nice, if a bit over-done, but if you're going for a sports car look and feel, it has to be authentic. This is coming from someone who daily drives a Tesla Roadster, which has its own authentic feel, and yes, sound. I don't need bare-bones, but I refuse to drive what is effectively a very expensive augmented reality video game. Driving down a highway is not a game, and with every fake experience added to our cars, we are becoming more and more disconnected from what our cars are actually being asked to do. A little power steering is ok, if not essential to vehicle control. But when you start making parts of the driving experience total fiction, that's a dangerous direction to be headed in.
 
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#63
@gregd I'd seen the announcement on the CA fuel increases, and I agree with the principal. It's a relatively fair carrot to transition gas to EV miles.

Here in the UK we do also have an annual "road tax". It is based on a banded CO2 emission scale. Pure EV's are exempt (unless the purchase price is over £40k). Technically it's VED (Vehicle Excise Duty) and so it just goes into a pot rather than spent on the roads.

Regarding privacy issues, here in the EU by law every car has to have GPS and GSM anyway, I guess the privacy stuff is really how much you trust the various divisions of your own government. Is the IRS more trustworthy than the DMV I don't know ;) :p

You'll get no arguments from me re the fake sound! It was one of the first things I asked the sales guy on how to disable. Now I'll give BMW some slack here, it's not like something in the Renault ClioSport you can buy in Europe where you dial up a soundtrack of anything from a Ferrari to a Mustang and it simply plays a loop based on the engine RPM the ECU is seeing. It's more subtle. Think of it as a microphone and a delay pedal playing back the engine half way through a cycle making a 3 cylinder sound like a 6 cylinder.

I'll be perfectly honest though if you are an EV enthusiats, the i8 is far from perfect (the biggest drawback is the range). As a car in isolation, and compared to the 911 C4S it does a good job, with genuine environmental pluses even if driven as a regular hybrid.

I am coming at it somewhat backward however as an EV enthusiast, so I am lucky I can just about scrape the EV range I need from it, but it's a definite compromise.

What I am more nervous about is people looking at on line reviews for cars like the i8 (or NSX to an extent) but then getting drowned out by negative "anti-FUD" (is that a thing) from well meaning Tesla fans on almost every review... It just sends potential buyers straight back to Porsche :(

I'm not sure if you've driven an i8 Greg, but as an experiment from a Roadster owner, I'd love to hear your feedback if you do get the chance.
 
#64
smac said:
I'm not sure if you've driven an i8 Greg, but as an experiment from a Roadster owner, I'd love to hear your feedback if you do get the chance.
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No, I've not really had a chance to take one out for a drive. I'm trying to imagine the dealer's reaction if I drive up in my Roadster... Could be kind of fun, but frankly I'd be wasting their time and that wouldn't be right.
 
#66
12Pack said:
The i8 is a mongrel - I mean hybrid. Like all hybrids, its a kluge. It may be the nicest mongrel - but it's still a mongrel.

Does the 2018 still have the fake synthesized sound to mask the 3 cylinders motor threshing back there?
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resale value will be crap on it i bet. If i was a kid now like 10 yrs old..in 6 yrs or 8 yrs when i get my 1st car they may be dirt cheAP used
 
#68
Zhelko Dimic said:
It has no real identity.
As an electric car it's more than compromised.
It looks like a supercar, and cost halfway between sportcar and supercar, but it has no power to outrun even basic Porsche 911.
So I've got Tesla and 911, and was thinking about i8, but it doesn't belong anywhere. For whatever reason I wanted to buy it, there are better cars in that class.

It does look good though, that may be the only reason to have it.
It feels like haute-couture fashion from 3 years ago.
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I dont think the look is bad at all but the hood/doors and poor performance make it a dog for the $$$$. Now if they released the car on the series 3 frame like a kit car for series 3 pricing then it may be worth it. Its a dog overall. Its not a true ev..its not a true supercar its a jack of no trades. Looks fast but isnt and for that price i would just buy a used porche ICE from years ago or stick with my mr2 spyder.

You will deff see those in hollywood area and vegas and hec i am sure i will see one in denver next summer but its kind of a "clown" car in a way. All show(and sound) and no go. Which as i stated is ok for a cheap pricepoint.
 
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#69
"Fake supercar and fake plug-in hybrid" (15 mile range).

There. I think I finally put my finger on exactly what was bothering me about the i8.

Do like the exterior styling though. Richard Kim knows his stuff.
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#70
I own both an i8 and a Model X P100D and Model S 75. All are awesome in their own way. I do truly love the i8's handling and comfort. It is a 2+2 (someone earlier said it was a two seater) with a little luggage space. I have enjoyed putting over 11k miles on mine and counting, especially road trips (kinda nice to not have to worry about charging) but yes, it truly is an ICE with battery assistance, vs a true plug in electric only
 
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#71
The i8 is a cool car, but there is nothing particularly impressive about it. There's not even really a reason to compare it specifically to a Tesla, as it's a hybrid with anemic electric range. I think among plug-in hybrids, only the plug-in Prius had electric range as low as the i8.
 
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